Earlier this week, Samsung was caught red-handed gaming benchmark scores on their Galaxy Note 3 device (and it’s not the first time they’ve gamed benchmarks either). Today, they’ve come forward with something to say about the situation.
Here’s how The Wall Street Journal paraphrases their response (emphasis added):
The latest claim is that Samsung manipulated benchmarks for its Galaxy Note 3. No, no, no, Samsung says. What’s happening is the device is designed to pump up the horsepower precisely when it is needed. When it isn’t, the device cools its heels in order to preserve battery life.
And a direct quote from CNET UK, via BGR:
“The Galaxy Note 3 maximises its CPU/GPU frequencies when running features that demand substantial performance,” a Samsung spokesperson told CNET UK. ”This was not an attempt to exaggerate particular benchmarking results. We remain committed to providing our customers with the best possible user experience.”
Can YOU see through Samsung’s public relations bullshit here? Because I can, and so can Mike Norris. And here it is:
Yup. That’s right. THEY ADMITTED THEIR SLEAZE THEMSELVES. Here’s a picture of Samsung’s own source code proving it. Note the lines “PACKAGES_FOR_LCD_FRAME_RATE_ADJUSTMENT,” their specific tagging of known benchmark apps to trigger the boosting behavior, and the numerous “booster” references.
This not only proves Samsung manipulated benchmarks – it also proves they did so knowingly, and quite intentionally. Also worth noting is that when Ars Technica slightly modified a benchmarking program to perform its exact same role under a different package name (note: they ONLY changed the name): the device no longer achieved its artificially inflated performance.
By disassembling the benchmarking app, changing only the package name, and reassembling it, we could run the app without the CPU knowing we were running a benchmark app. The Note 3 should treat our benchmark like any other app and give a true representation of the phone’s performance relative to other devices.
[…]…Stealthbench … is identical to Geekbench in every way except for a different package name. With Geekbench, System Monitor shows that the CPU is locked into 2.3GHz mode and all cores are active, but in Stealthbench, the CPU is allowed to idle, shut off cores, and switch power modes, the same way it does in any other app. We have successfully disabled the special benchmark mode.
Sure, Samsung knows how to deny their villainy. And they know how to issue a PR statement. But do they know how to do business ethically without screwing over the customers who actually purchase their devices? Apparently not.
WHY AM I STILL TYPING? Samsung cheated, then they blatantly lied. They did this with neither shame nor apology, and without batting an eye. The evidence is as clear as a summer’s day. This would be much less embarassing for Samsung if they would SHUT UP, and STOP LYING AND DIGGING THEMSELVES DEEPER. How does anyone still feel good about buying products from this company?
